My Favorite Designs from the Star Wars Prequels

I gotta admit, the whole "Star Wars prequel trilogy sucks" shtick is getting kinda old. Don't get me wrong, I'm prone to flat-out despise all three prequel films as much as the next guy, but isn't it about time we all calmed down a bit and recognized that they weren't complete garbage? There may not necessarily be plenty to enjoy about the prequels, but anyone who loves the aesthetics of Star Wars should be able to find something enjoyable. As a fan who loves Star Wars largely (though not exclusively) for its visual pleasures, I've selected my five favorite designs from each film in the prequel trilogy to demonstrate that the parts are sometimes far greater than their sum.


The Phantom Menace

The Naboo Starfighter

A sleek, fun, retro-futuristic ship design 

Naboo Royal Starship

The sleekest, sexiest, most retro-futuristic ship in the galaxy

The Podracers

A great vehicular addition to the Star Wars universe, they emulate that "lived-in" look of vehicle designs from the original trilogy.

Queen Amidala's Wardrobe and Makeup

Always a beautifully alien-looking design, look of royalty that's truly other-worldly.

Darth Maul's Face

Without question the coolest character design since Darth Vader

Attack of the Clones

Coruscant

Prominently featured in all three prequels, but the chase sequence in Attack of the Clones really showcases the fun and excitement of this metropolitan planet.

Lars Homestead

Not only is this set a welcome return to an original trilogy location, it's a tactile, welcome break from the green screen-centric sets of the rest of the film.

Count Dooku's Lightsaber Hilt

The sith lord's curved saber handle design facilitates a unique combat style and just looks cool.

Mace Windu's Purple Lightsaber

Dooku may have the cool handle, but no sith or jedi ever looked cooler in combat than Mace

Jango Fett's Armor

This sleeker, shinier version of Boba Fett's iconic armor is one of the few designs that successfully creates a sense of visual continuity between the prequels and original trilogy.

Revenge of the Sith

Jedi Starfighters

Another design that successfully creates a sense of continuity between the prequels and the original trilogy...at least, until they're attacked by those stupid looking "buzz droids".

The Star Wars Universe's Answer to Opera

...or maybe it's more like a Pink Floyd laser show. Either way, it's an intriguing design.

Mustafar

I'm not a huge fan of the final showdown between Anakin and Obi-Wan, but this lava planet in and of itself is pretty dang cool in concept. 

Darth Vader in the Promotional Material

Anakin's transformation into Vader may have turned out kinda lame, but seeing the old Vader mask return in the movie's promotional material was a real visual treat.

The Final Shot

The best type of fan service. This shot doesn't save a terrible movie, but it does evoke the spirit and iconography of the original trilogy quite beautifully.

What are some of your favorite designs from the prequels?